Sundowner Magazine: Spring/Summer 2020

18
SUM
MERS
THE DAYS MAY BE LONG, BUT THE YEARS ARE
SHORT. THE SCARY FACT IS THAT THERE ARE ONLY 18
SUMMERS IN YOUR MINI-ME’S CHILDHOOD AND YOU
SHOULDN’T SQUANDER A SINGLE ONE OF THEM
Uninterrupted family time – every parent wants it and
every child needs it. As Sally Peck, The Telegraph’s family
editor, recently told Sundowner: “With work, school,
and ever-present smartphones, we spend so little uninterrupted
time with our children: holidays are the one chance we have
to really engage and interact, in a relaxed setting, without the
intrusions of mundane life.”
Pre-school summer holidays – when there’s more flexibility
and you’re not a slave to your child’s education – pass by in a
happy haze of armbands and ice cream. All holidays offer the
opportunity for memory-making and family-fun time, but during
primary and secondary school summer breaks, can you also travel
smarter and fight holiday-time “learning loss”?
There are a multitude of reasons why travelling is a great form
of education; it’s a fun way to reinforce learning and keep young
minds sharp when school isn’t in session. Research indicates that
children who enjoy learning opportunities during the summer
retain more knowledge over the holidays than their peers who
do not. So read on for our ultimate guide to 18 summers that
combine family fun times and edu-travel.
WORDS: ALICIA DEVENEY
54 | SPRING/SUMMER 2020